Two retired hippies and a dog living their dream life traveling across the United States and Canada in their RV. Sharing stories, photos and tips from life on the road.

Monday, May 4, 2015

30 days on the road . . .

. . . and we find ourselves back in Michigan!

We left Asheville, NC on March 30th. Our RV was packed to the gills with all of the last minute things that we needed to get out of our townhouse before inspection. It was a bittersweet moment when we pulled out of town after having lunch with our good friend and hiking partner Janet.

Tried to get Janet to come as our chauffeur

We were filled with excitement that we were on our way but also sad at leaving the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains behind and all of our friends.

Mielikki and Nancy enjoying the ride

Mielikki wasn't sure about this whole thing. All the noises and movement were making her rather uneasy. We started off with her on the couch and Nancy offering some support and a little Reiki. She moved to the hallway about half way through the trip and then with about 45 minutes left to go something fell, and sent her into a frenzy. So Nancy "spooned" with her on the couch - it was quite the sight. Poor thing was terrified. Kentucky and Ohio

Eric & Sherrie ~ Sherrie & Chuck ~
Sherrie & Frankie ~ Luke and Linda

The first leg of our trip was a very sad one. Nancy's nephew Don passed away on March 29th after a long battle with Leukemia. Newport, KY was our first stop for his memorial service which was held on April 1st. Family came from across the US to say goodbye, it is always great to be with family, only wish it was for a happier reason. We were able to give tours of the RV, although it was pretty crowded with boxes and bags of our belongings.

King Charles ~ Kat & Keegan
King Les

We stayed at Don's apartment for 10 days, packing up his belongings and taking day trips to explore Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.

Good to know!

Newport is a really cool town, right on the river across from Cincinnati. The Newport Aquarium is there, as well as a ton of restaurants and shops. We ate at the Hofbrauhaus, and as you can guess by the name it is a German place. Great food and of course good beer. If you order dessert, order just one to share as they are huge. Some more historical information covering a wide range of the spectrum of life.

We headed south one day to Big Bone Lick State Park and Georgetown.

Big Bone Lick State Park (who thought of this name?) was very pretty with a nice visitor's center. Our favorite part was the cool bird-feeder room where we watched dozens of birds through the windows. The Bison herd is rather small but enjoyed seeing them. Georgetown is named as the place to go for antiques, but in all honesty we were a little disappointed in the number of stores they had. We did find a really nice coffee shop, The Upbeat Cafe, where we had a great cup of coffee, mine was Southern Pecan, and lunch. The owner was super sweet and even hugged us when we left. It is also the birthplace of Bourbon, so what's not to love? This sign made us thirsty for some bourbon so headed to our favorite place on the Bourbon Trail, which is Buffalo Trace. They have such beautiful grounds and their Bourbon Cream is fantastic.As we traveled the back roads we came across a few other historical places and signs. We see these things all the time and never stop to read them but decide that this is what our trip is all about so here ya go.

We also explored Cincinnati a bit. We went to the public library downtown and it is one of the best libraries we have ever been in. The adventure starts outside with a book fountain, wasn't running the day we were there due to the cold weather, would love to see it in action. Inside there is room after room of books to browse through. A courtyard off one of the rooms is a quiet reading garden, an oasis in the middle of a cement city. Nancy just wanted to curl up on one of the benches in the shade of a tree and enjoy a good book. The piece de resistance was the Maker's Place, this room knocked our socks off. It had a recording studio, video equipment, laser cutters, sewing machines, art supplies, drafting supplies and a 3D printer - we got to watch a guy making a piece on the printer - it was SO cool. They also have a coffee shop - so Nancy would like to make this place home. Next stop on Culture day was the art museum. Not a very big museum but they had a couple of good displays going on, one was an Andy Warhol and sports display that was interesting. They have a children's interactive room that looked like great fun.The courtyard was beautiful and they have some fun statues inside and out. The Museum was free and only $4.00 for parking which was waived if you bought something in the gift shop or ate at the restaurant. A great outing for little cost.

One of the best things about staying was that we got to spend some time with Lillian, Christian and Lindsay which was awesome.

Friday, April 10th found us officially on the Happy Trial and heading to Indiana.Because we want you to come back and read more - we will not make this first post 30 days long and painful to read. Happy Trails to you! Tips and things we have learned so far:- everything always takes longer than you expect it to so don't leave so much for the last minute.- make sure everything and we mean everything is secure before you take off down the road or things will fall and scatter - and scare your dog half to death.- find the seat-belts for your couch before you start your trip.

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About Me

Welcome to Barrett's Happy Trails. We are in our 4th year of photographing the amazing places we see while RVing full time. I am a Reiki Master, an avid reader, a hiker, a nature lover, a craft beer snob and an unsophisticated wine lover.